Pakistan’s protected areas have expanded, yet wildlife continues to depend on habitats beyond their legal boundaries. Across the Himalayas, Salt Range and Indus River, roads, settlements and development are fragmenting the corridors that connect critical ecosystems. The real measure of conservation lies in whether these landscapes remain connected enough for species to move, breed and survive. Protecting biodiversity therefore requires institutions to account for the habitats between protected areas, where some of the most important ecological links remain vulnerable.

Pakistan ranked first in the 2025 Climate Risk Index for climate-related extreme weather impacts in 2022, when floods affected 33 million people and caused US$14.9 billion in damage. Three years later, its NDC 3.0 commits the country to cutting projected 2035 emissions by 50 percent, with US$565.7 billion estimated for the transition. Between these two figures sits the harder question of implementation: climate-sensitive sectors are largely devolved to provinces, while national targets, fiscal arrangements and much of the institutional architecture remain federally structured. The result is a governance problem that shows up in budgets, local planning and disaster preparedness long before it appears in an international climate commitment.

Pakistan has spent fifteen years rebuilding after catastrophic floods, yet the same vulnerabilities continue to shape who suffers and how much is lost. The problem lies in a system that remains heavily oriented towards recovery while prevention struggles for sustained funding, local capacity and implementation. From inactive district institutions to degraded watersheds and underused climate finance, the gaps are less about knowing what works and more about making it work before the water arrives.

Pakistan’s farmers face a market where rising production costs meet uncertain prices, limited information and weak bargaining power. Decisions made months before harvest can leave small growers exposed to surpluses, disrupted exports and prices far below expectations. Government support mechanisms exist, but announced prices and agricultural finance do not always translate into meaningful security at the farmgate. A more accountable agricultural market requires timely information, transparent procurement, better storage, stronger farmer organisations and protection against climate-related losses. For farmers, resilience begins with having enough information, choice and security to make the next crop possible.

Climate change is placing growing pressure on Pakistan’s agriculture through rising temperatures, floods, drought and water stress. Small farmers face the greatest difficulty adapting, with limited access to credit, climate information, technology and institutional support. Women and tenant farmers face additional barriers linked to land ownership and financial access. Pakistan has expanded agricultural finance and resilience programmes, but significant gaps remain in reaching those most exposed. Building climate resilience therefore requires taking adaptation support from policy frameworks to the farms that need it most.